The epic length of the movie was a good way to break up the drudgery of summer. However, I think of this movie more of as a mixed bag: it wasn't the best HP movie, but it wasn't the worst and it provided some much needed levity to counterbalance the general darkness of the coming war. The CGI was once again amazing, but at some points of the movie it felt as if the pacing was off due to the sheer amount of material that was being crammed into the film as well as the lingering scenes of teenage drama.
It was nice seeing the young actors deliver a more mature product than previous films, though I also agree that Bonnie’s portrayal of Ginny needs to get spunked up. Luna was once again spot on in her airy, not-quite-there sort of way, and surprisingly, Draco came across as a sympathetic character. Tom Felt’s portrayal of Malfoy’s inner turmoil over his assigned task was perhaps one of the stronger, more genuine characterizations throughout the movie (HBC’s brief stints onscreen as the gleefully insane Bellatrix were also highly enjoyable). Most of all, it would be a definite plus to see the older actors get more screen time rather than the on-stage, walking-across stage, off-stage scenes that seemed all too common in this film a la Tonks, Remus, and McGonagall. They need more dialogue. Yes, there is a very large ensemble to deal with, but this movie in particular struck me as rather random with the cast swelling even more due to the introduction of new characters that don’t really seem to drive the plot forward.
I enjoyed the flashbacking memories to Tom Riddle’s childhood as it provided long-awaited background information on the origins of Voldemort (I have yet to read the books, so it was helpful having the past fleshed out), and both young actors managed to convey a great deal of all-around creepiness. Speaking of creepy, Prof. Slugghorn was mildly disturbing with his after-school dinner parties and mention of his ‘collection.’ Is the collection simply photographs of his top students or something else entirely? Either way he pings my ick-scale.
Overall, I didn’t love the movie as my friends led me to believe I would, but I didn’t hate it, and I look forward to DH.
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It was nice seeing the young actors deliver a more mature product than previous films, though I also agree that Bonnie’s portrayal of Ginny needs to get spunked up. Luna was once again spot on in her airy, not-quite-there sort of way, and surprisingly, Draco came across as a sympathetic character. Tom Felt’s portrayal of Malfoy’s inner turmoil over his assigned task was perhaps one of the stronger, more genuine characterizations throughout the movie (HBC’s brief stints onscreen as the gleefully insane Bellatrix were also highly enjoyable). Most of all, it would be a definite plus to see the older actors get more screen time rather than the on-stage, walking-across stage, off-stage scenes that seemed all too common in this film a la Tonks, Remus, and McGonagall. They need more dialogue. Yes, there is a very large ensemble to deal with, but this movie in particular struck me as rather random with the cast swelling even more due to the introduction of new characters that don’t really seem to drive the plot forward.
I enjoyed the flashbacking memories to Tom Riddle’s childhood as it provided long-awaited background information on the origins of Voldemort (I have yet to read the books, so it was helpful having the past fleshed out), and both young actors managed to convey a great deal of all-around creepiness. Speaking of creepy, Prof. Slugghorn was mildly disturbing with his after-school dinner parties and mention of his ‘collection.’ Is the collection simply photographs of his top students or something else entirely? Either way he pings my ick-scale.
Overall, I didn’t love the movie as my friends led me to believe I would, but I didn’t hate it, and I look forward to DH.